New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist: Six Points to Be Sure of Before Closing
Buying or building a new home is one of the most exciting moments in a person or a family’s life. Whether a first-time buyer, upgrading to the home of your dreams or downsizing in retirement. Closing on and purchasing a home is a big deal. However, amidst the excitement, you want to remember to be smart about your purchase. Many areas of the home need to be inspected thoroughly to be sure you are getting what you pay for. One area that you want to be 100 percent sure of is the plumbing. With this New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist from your friends at Poole’s Plumbing, we point out each of the six items you want to “check off” before you finalize any sale.
You will certainly want to give us a call, so Poole’s can perform a full plumbing inspection before closing. But, the six things making up your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist below are things you can look for yourself upon touring the home.
New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist: Check for Pressure and Give it a Flush
The first half of your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist will have you taking a look at water pressure. Likewise, we will discuss how to test each of the homes’ toilets in a very simple manner.
Big Pipes Mean Good Pressure
The first item in your “personal inspection” on your New homeowners Plumbing Checklist is the pipes. As anyone who has lived with low water pressure can attest, it is not something you want to endure. So, in your initial “walk-thru” or planning, check out the pipes. Make sure that they are a minimum of 3/4 inches from the water source to the home. Also, be certain that there is a minimum of 1/2 inches to the faucets also.
When sure that these distances are of the implied closeness, you can rest assured that water pressure will not be an issue.
Turn Those Faucets On and be Sure on the Pressure
Once you are sure of the pipe size, you can be pretty sure about having good water pressure. However, just to on and off each faucet in your home off and on. Do the same with your shower. There is no better way to gauge water pressure than by you seeing it yourself and deciding that it is either too low or just right for your household.
Flush to be Sure
The third item on your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist is to be sure there are no issues at all with any of the toilets in your home. This is actually a pretty easy inspection process for you. That is because you simply go to each toilet in your home.
When you flush each of the toilets in your home, watch and listen to identify any problems. If you notice a weak flush, one that stays running too long, or strange noises, you will want to bring this to the attention of the builder or realtor.
New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist: A Long Look in the Basement and Saying “No to Lead”
The final three items on your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist have you continuing your personal inspection. This part of your inspection though will take place when the walk-thru brings you to the basement.
Don’t Overlook the Basement and Crawl Spaces
This heading about says it all for this entry on your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist. It is a fact that the most overlooked places that a new homeowner forgets to check in regard to plumbing is one of the spots they can actually miss the most, the basement. Take the time to look for any water damage, leaky pipes, or anything that appears to have been repaired that might not look like it was professionally done.
How Old is the Heater?
Earlier we would discuss water pressure. Now, let’s talk about temperature. While water pressure is very important, the temperature is equally as big of a deal. So, moving along on your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist, this item just has you asking a few questions. When you take the tour of this home, ask the realtor to show you the water heater. Then, take a look to see if there is any corrosion or rust in the unit. Keeping in questioning mode, be sure to also ask the realtor what year the heater unit was installed and when it was last professionally serviced.
Stay Away from Lead
This would seem a common-sense type of entry to your New Homeowners Plumbing Checklist. But we would be remiss if we did not include something about the dangers of lead. The CDC reports that one out of every six children have more than the average amount of lead in their blood. This is a direct result of lead piping. Thus, unless you have a home that you want to entirely replace all the pipes in, we recommend staying away from any homes that have lead pipes.
The number one trusted name in Raleigh NC area plumbers is Poole’s Plumbing. We are more than happy to come through for your professional, final inspection before you close on your new home. To contact us about this or any of our services, visit poolesplumbing.com.
